Egypt is striving to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Sisi says

[March 15, 2024]  DUBAI (Reuters) - Egypt is seeking to reach a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza, increase entry of aid and to allow displaced people in the south of the enclave to move to the north, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Friday.  

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attends Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November, 11, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Sisi also warned against the danger of an Israeli incursion into the city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people have sought shelter next to Gaza's border with Egypt.

Aid officials have warned of looming famine in the coastal enclave.

"We are talking about reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning a truce, providing the biggest quantity of aid," Sisi said in a message recorded during a visit to the police academy.

This would include "curbing the impact of this famine on people, and also allowing for the people in the centre and the south to move towards the north, with a very strong warning against incursion into Rafah", he said.

"We warned of what is happening, that aid not entering would lead to famine," Sisi said.

Egypt, which fears the displacement of Palestinians crowded near its border, has been trying, along with Qatar and the United States, to mediate between Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.

On Thursday, Egypt's foreign minister called on Israel to open land crossings with Gaza to let in more aid.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Alex Richardson)

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